Warbird Information Exchange

Sorry Lynn, I should have known!

I'm TDY this week aboard NAS Pensacola for training. It was getting a little dark when I came through the gate, but it looked like a Blue Angels F11F greeting me! Before checking in at the VQ, I had to find the O-club! It was closed, but there is a nice Blue Angels FA-18 (#1) parked out in front! I'm going to have a drink there as soon as I find it open!

Ray should have an update on here soon about the progress of the P-63F and P-39, but as you might understand, his spare time is scarce right now! The Cobra Den Maintenance Crew is in high gear on both of these planes!

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Mike

Got mine today!! Looks great.

Wife and I both wore our shirts to Destin (FL) for lunch and shoping. Outstanding Art Work.

Found my shirt today in the mailbox ,what a great shirt, and wish i could have bought more, Hope my small donation helps some ,wish i could do more. What you do reminds me when I worked on the King When it was at POF East at FCM . Keep it up and save a little history so I can show my grandson's

Pappy

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PAPPY ch-46 phrog,endangerd species 40 years and still flying

Hi everyone! Just a quick update on the P-39 and P-63 projects.

Repairs are well underway to the P-39. We got her home safely and after a few days of sitting on display, we removed the temporary leading edge and began removing the real one. We took extra care while drilling out the hundreds of rivets so that we would not have many over-drilled holes. We can see now that there will be five of the front "riblets" that must be fabricated. I have the material and have found someone to do the heat treating. We have to cut and roll the inboard half of the new leading edge and she'll be ready to go back together. There are other repairs to be done, but they are all minor things and for the Cobra Den maintenance crew, it is a labor of love...

Here she is with the leading edge removed.




The P-63 project is rocking along, too. Much of the work this past month has been internal so you may think that little has happened, but you’d be wrong. The entire aircraft has now been re-primed, including the cockpit. The new skin has been installed on the tail. The fuel boost pumps, missing for so long, have been replaced and the fuel system is ready to go in. The oil cooler has been installed and the radiators should go in this week. The rudder and elevators should be installed by the weekend along with all of the tail sheet metal covers. The brakes should be in and functional by Wednesday, August 31. The battery may go in by the weekend, as we have only three wires to figure out at this point. An instrument panel modification is almost ready to install. With all of this activity, the most exciting bit of news is that the engine should ship late this week. It is really starting to come together! The work should really be visible in a week or so and I'll get some pictures and an update posted then.

Thanks!

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Ray Clausen
Maintenance Officer
Centex Wing of the CAF

Wow looking good, did you guys get my MO for the shirt? Just checking because been going to mailbox every day, cannot wait to where the Cobra Den shirt to school!

Sorry, I've fallen a bit behind in the shirts. I had to go TDY for a week (which started on Saturday of one weekend, and ended on Sunday of the following weekend), then I've had a lot to catch up on at work and around the house. I hope to get back on the shirt project soon!

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Mike

Just got my new favorite shirt! Nice! Great job by Django on design and thanks to Mike and the gang for making them so we can do our little part to support some great birds!

So, any updates?

WOW! The month is flying by but we are making progress. The freshly done engine from Joe Yancey has been shipped and is expected at the Cobra Den Monday. It is a certified -135 engine, just like the Bell specifications call for in an F model P-63. The plane is really looking good too. The oil cooler and both radiators are in the aircraft and we are putting the finishing touches on the plumbing.



The new cables are in and the tailfeathers have been put on. A few more rivets are needed in the stinger on the lower tail and the back end from the oil tank to the tail will be done. In the photo, Plane Captain Mike Marando and Chief Sponsor and pilot Mike Collier are installing the saddle at the base of the vertical fin.



The battery cables were installed which completed the nose from the front windshield forward. We haven't installed the sheet metal yet but may do it just for effect by the weekend. The propeller arrived today! It is on the plane for now but may have to come off when we install the engine. To use our chain hoist to put in the motor, we may have to push the nose of the plane into a hallway, one of the drawbacks to a mid-engined plane and our hangar layout. I believe there are some photos of us pulling/installing the P-39 engine earlier in this thread which will let you see what I mean. Here are some prop photos from today.That's Jimmy Vauter of San Antonio Propellers holding the blade while Plane Captain Mike Marando tightens the nut with plenty of supervision.



That prop measures eleven and a half feet from tip to tip!



We have a bit of work to do in the cockpit and the engine compartment, but the bulk of what is left is installing the wing fuel tanks with their boost pumps and plumbing.

The P-39 wing nose ribs are coming along slowly. We have made the forms and I would guess that we might have the 5 nose ribs made this weekend. We recently lost the left engine on the Yellow Rose and that has diverted some of our labor as we want to get the engine to the builder ASAP to find out what happened to it. I'll get some P-39 photos and an update posted this weekend.

Thanks!

Ray

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Ray Clausen
Maintenance Officer
Centex Wing of the CAF

Jimmy's one of the few propeller guys still doing the big props. When he finally decides to retire it will make our lives just a little more difficult to keep these aircraft flying.

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"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass..."
Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto

I wonder if he has an apprentice, or a plan to keep it going?

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

Sounds great on the -63, any news on Wings Over Houston??? Sent Money order in for shirt awhile back but no shirt. Cannot wait to get shirt and proudly wear it to school and airshow.

Sorry about the delay on the shirt. We were out of your size, but another order has been placed and we are waiting for the call that they have been made!

As far as WOH goes, the Cobra Den maintenance team is still working on the P-39 repairs, so I don't know if it will be able to make it or not. I think WOH has put the little bit of money they were offering the P-39 to come to another plane.

I hear the P-63 is coming right along though, but it's still hard to tell when it will be back in the air at this point. Mike C. told me the engine is now in transit, and should arrive Monday (as in tomorrow, 9/27)! The Cobra Den maintenance team, and Plane Captain Mike M., have really been doing a wonderful job with the King Cobra. I haven't seen it looking this great in a long time!

If anyone is in the area on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday, stop in and check the Cobra Den Maintenance Team's work out! There's a fence around the airport now, but the gate, as I understand it, will be left open at all times, unless there's a terrorist attack or something where it needs to be closed and locked. No electronic stuff attached yet, and none scheduled for the near future. Of course the fence doesn't stop planes from flying in anyway!

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Mike

Boy are we excited at the Cobra Den! The new engine arrived Monday and it is gorgeous. It has been inspected and certified as a -135 engine as is called for in a P-63F.



Joe Yancey is THE man with Allison engines (just ask Steve Hinton, Rod Lewis, and many other Allison owners). His wife, Pat, does the ignition harness work. Together, they build a truly beautiful engine. We can't wait to get this one in and running, and we hope to make that happen very soon. There is still a lot to do but I still am hoping to see the P-63 make the Houston show. Here is the -135 engine, fresh from the crate (actually, it is still in the crate...).



I expect to be posting pictures of it in the plane soon!

Thanks!

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Ray Clausen
Maintenance Officer
Centex Wing of the CAF

What is the round donut thingy on the bottom right side of the engine photo?